The greatest architect of all time: Mimar Sinan

                                    'The greatest architect of all time': Mimar Sinan

Mimar Sinan, referred to as "Koca Sinan", the best architect of all time, has been admired for hundreds of years for his mastery, engineering intelligence, craftsmanship in his works.

İstanbul

Mimar Sinan, the touchstone of architectural history, died 431. his genius continues to be admired for his mastery, engineering and fine craftsmanship in his works.

Sinan, who was born in the village of Ağırnas, Kayseri, was brought to Istanbul as a devşirme during the time of Yavuz Sultan Selim. Sinan, who was a janissary during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the magnificent, won the appreciation of Sultan Suleiman The Magnificent with the bridge he built in 13 days on the Prut River during the Black wheat expedition and then rose to the chief architect.

Mimar Sinan, who signed 364 works including 82 mosques, 52 masjids, 55 madrasas, 7 darülkurra, 20 shrines, 17 imaret, 3 darüşşifa, 6 waterway, 10 bridges, 20 caravanserais, 36 palaces, 8 cellars and 48 baths in the world, died in Istanbul on April 9, 1588 at the age of 98.

Mimar Sinan's tomb, which has a jib view when viewed from above, is located in the Suleymaniye complex, which is described as his" masterpiece".

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University (FSMVU) Faculty of Architecture and Design, who has written many works and articles on Mimar Sinan, faculty member of the Department of Architecture, Master Architect Professor Dr. Suphi Saatçi said that Sinan took great steps by developing the construction technology and understanding of architecture of the early period Ottoman architecture, which he inherited as a legacy during his life.

Referring to the influence of architect Sinan on the age in which he lived and those who came after him, Saatçi said: "he has taken the carrier layout to a very advanced level thanks to his engineering experience, especially in terms of both design and structural organization. Both continuous and point carrier elements made a great revolution in the history of Ottoman architecture by taking building details to new solutions. In addition, Sinan demonstrated the originality of Ottoman architecture in both Ottoman geography and World Architecture., "he said.

"He brought to the fore the original and authentic interpretation of his society within the architectural tradition"

He also said that Istanbul, which he described as the most important center of the Mediterranean civilization Basin, is a fascinating city that expands Sinan's horizons.

In addition, as a janissary, his participation in the expedition with the Ottoman army and seeing new places and new works enriched the architectural manners and vocabulary of architect Sinan, Saatçi said.:

"Sinan reinterpreted the Ottoman architectural world in which he grew up with the Sassanid and Seljuk architectural data he was familiar with. By extracting some of the architectural data he was influenced by, he addressed its positive and useful aspects. But Sinan was neither Sassanid nor Byzantine, nor Mediterranean. He brought to the fore his original and authentic interpretation within the architectural tradition of his community. In this regard, instead of the horizontal and flattened understanding of architecture that prevailed in Seljuk architecture, Sinan's approach saw a gradual vertical rise. Especially in the construction of the great temples, as can be seen in every understanding of civilization, Sinan raised the main mass gradually to the sky. Thus, the appearance of religious buildings, which highlighted the city silhouettes in the classical era of Ottoman architecture, gave the cities an identity. In this rise, Sinan's share of developing the central dome to its last point is large. As it is known, as the diameter of the dome grows in Sinan's circular dome form, the height of the dome also increases upwards."

Pointing out that early Ottoman architecture was widely fed by Seljuk architecture, Saatçi said that this heritage, which was original, went to a more advanced level in classical period architecture.

"While the Seljuk caravanserais gathered on a small scale within themselves, The Classical period turned into large complexes with a large program in the city in Ottoman architecture. Range complexes were built in accommodation between cities. This development added a great richness to Ottoman architecture., "he said.

Prof. Dr. Saatçi noted that architect Sinan, using the Seljuk tradition in lean stonework and tile technique, led to great developments in these areas, and also gave universal messages to World Architecture by crowning the great temples of Turkish civilization with large domes.

Saatçi, who also evaluated the perspective of today's architects with Sinan's approach to nature and man, conveyed the following:

"Sinan is known for his examples of being extremely sensitive to the natural structure and properties of the land in his designs. Currently, there are valuable architects who understand Sinan's approach and emphasize it, but are few in number. But given that modern architectural education has developed in many ways, and the universal language of architecture is in the unity of discourse, it is difficult to say that a sufficient modern version of this approach has been produced in practice."

Arguing that it is not possible to say that Turkey has developed at a sufficient level in the field of restoration, Saatchi said that not only the works of architect Sinan, but also other restoration works are behind world standards.

Emphasizing that the basic approach to restoration work should be to make minimal intervention in the works and to preserve the authenticity of the structure to a large extent, Saatchi said: "This is the Ideal understanding of restoration. There are several reasons at the heart of this problem. The lack of restoration specialists, the approach of contractors to finish the work in a hurry, the lack of qualified workers and technicians in the field are the first reasons that come to mind. Restoration can gain quality with the presence of artists in different branches who work with superior craftsmanship and patience., "he said.

"Hagia Sophia came to this day thanks to Sinan"

Emphasizing that Hagia Sophia, one of the most important historical buildings of Istanbul, came to this day thanks to Mimar Sinan, saatçi explained:

"Hagia Sophia has been through great troubles throughout history. Hagia Sophia, whose first construction is known to be Wooden, was built as kargir after it burned down. It was rebuilt when it was destroyed by an earthquake. Today's structure, to me, is Sinan's Hagia Sophia. Although it had structural problems, Sinan's well-established fortification, providing the lower pedestal of the structure with buttresses, balancing the structure with two thick minarets, carried Hagia Sophia to the present day."

Stating that it is not easy to choose between the works of architect Sinan, Saatçi stated that every work he makes has interesting details.

Watchmaker, from smallest to the complex, such as blue and viewed works such as Marmaris, Sinan şemsi Paşa same seriousness and attention, noting that "a diamond of Turkish architecture history of the property, which is of an impenetrable masterpiece." said.

"Sinan 16. in the century, the water problem in Istanbul has been solved" 

Prof. Dr. Suphi Saatçi, Şehzade, Suleymaniye and Sokollu Mehmet Pasha complexes, Kanuni and the second Selim shrines, as well as works such as architect Sinan's engineering is a great genius expressed.

Evaluating other works by architect Sinan, Saatçi concluded his words as follows:

"Forty fountain water plants, an engineering marvel, are considered a worldwide project of Ottoman civilization. Sinan 16, which transports water from a distance of 55 kilometers to Istanbul and builds small pools, deposition pools, aqueducts, Bentes, layers and maksems with a head pool. he solved the water problem in Istanbul in the century. With this project, The Grand Master, who shipped water to Istanbul with a inclination of a thousand, used neither electrical energy, fuel, nor any energy source. This transmission line, built 465 years ago, is still in operation today. The long arch, broken (curved) arch and especially the Maglova Arch, which are important parts of this facility, are unique architectural and engineering monuments in the world. I think that every work of Sinan, the greatest architect of all time, has sides to admire. In this regard, it is our duty to always remember this great genius with mercy and gratitude."

He drew attention with the bridge he built in 13 days

Sinan won the appreciation of Sultan Suleiman The Magnificent with the bridge he built on the Prut River in 13 days during the Moldavian (black wheat) expedition and rose to the chief architect.

Sinan was brought to the chief architect, and his next signature was "Al-fakir Sinan sermi'maran-ı hassa". "Al-faqirü'l-khakir Sinan" was engraved in the middle of his ellipse-shaped seal, and "bende-I miskin kemine derd-mend-i ser-mimaran-I hassa-müstmend" was engraved around it.

Mimar Sinan, who remained Reis-i Mimaran until his death, symbolized the stage he recorded in his profession with three structures. Sinan, who mentioned the Shehzadebashi Mosque as an apprentice, the Suleymaniye Mosque as a journeyman work, the Selimiye Mosque as a master work, signed 365 works, including 92 mosques, 52 masjids, 55 madrasas, 7 darülkurra, 20 shrines, 17 Imaret, 3 darüşşifa (Hospital), 6 waterways, 10 bridges, 20 caravanserais, 36 palaces, 8 cellars and 48 baths.

Mimar Sinan, who called the period in which he lived "the age of Sinan", died in Istanbul on April 9, 1588, at the age of 98.

100 of his 365 works are in Istanbul

Architect Sinan, who has 365 works in Ottoman geography, has about 200 works in Istanbul and its immediate surroundings.

58 of the 100 works in Istanbul retain their originality, while the works here include the mausoleum in Besiktas built for Kaptan-I Derya Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, the Atik Valide Sultan complex in Üsküdar, the Ibrahim Pasha Palace in Sultanahmet Square (Museum of Turkish Islamic works), the minarets of the Hagia Sophia Mosque are the first ones that come to mind.

The Basin-ı Kebir (large pool) in Kemerburgaz, the Kovuk (curve) Kemer and the Zal Mahmut Pasha complex in Eyüp, the Husrev Kethuda Bath in Ortaköy, the gate Agası Bridge in Haramidere and the Semiz Ali Pasha Madrasa in Fatih are just some of the works left by the famous architect to Istanbul.

Apprenticeship, journeyman and mastery

Mimar Sinan, built in 1543-1548 and described as an apprenticeship work Şehzadebaşı mosque for the first time in the agenda of the Half-Dome issue. Sinan, who created a structure with four half domes, built a mosque with a large dome in The Shape of a Hemisphere and 4 half domes around it.

The large dome of the Suleymaniye Mosque, which is Sinan's journeyman work, with a diameter of 27.5 meters, was durable with a Half Dome, just like in Hagia Sophia. Of the minarets of different sizes located at 4 corner points of the courtyard of the mosque, the areas located in the northern part of the courtyard were built with two cheers and 56 meters tall.

The other two 76-meter-high minarets adjacent to the mosque were built with three cheers. According to the accounts of architect Sinan, 32 windows were opened in the main dome pulley of the mosque in order to provide good lighting.

A total of 28 porches are located around the courtyard of the mosque, while in the middle of this courtyard, which is built on a rectangular scheme, there is a fountain of the mosque. The tombs of Suleiman the magnificent and his wife Hürrem Sultan are also located in the outer courtyard of the Suleimaniye mosque.

Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, which is a master work, is considered one of the main works of Turkish-Ottoman art and world architectural history. Sultan 2. Built by Selim and distinguished by its 4 minarets, the work shows that architect Sinan was also a master urbanist with the choice of the place where it was founded. The mosque, made of cut stone, was built on an area of 1620 square meters with its interior section and 2 thousand 475 square meters with its courtyard. The dome, which has a height of 43.28 meters above the ground, is notable for its diameter of 31.30 meters.

Its dome, which is larger than Hagia Sophia, sits on 8 large filpayes connected by 6-meter-wide arches. Four at the corners, a Half Dome at the altar site supports the central dome.